What an incredible month it has been for our nation's military and veteran community.Monday, May 2nd marked the launch of the official countdown to the 2017 Invictus Games, to be hosted in Toronto next September. The day started with a presentation at the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto, with speeches by Invictus Games visionary and founder, HRH Prince Harry, as well as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynne and war veteran & Canadian politician, MCpl Jody Mitic.

Included in the speeches was Invictus Games Toronto 2017 CEO, Michael Burns. Michael stated, "Hosting the Games in Canada in 2017, the year our country celebrates its 150th anniversary of Confederation, will provide an important opportunity for Canadians to commemorate and honour its wounded, ill and injured soldiers and their families. The spirit of the Invictus Games will extend across the nation, uniting Canadians in celebration of these inspiring Games and their worthy cause."

Following the ceremony in the morning, dignitaries and attendees made their way to the Mattamy Athletic Centre, located at Ryerson University, for a celebration of adaptive sport, featuring a high-energy sledge hockey scrimmage with the Canadian national sledge hockey team - a sport that will make its Invictus Games debut in 2017. Prince Harry, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Toronto Mayor John Tory were among the guest speakers addressing the crowd of nearly 2,000, most of which were local elementary school students. Other special guests included Free the Children co-founder Marc Kielburger, wounded Canadian veteran Dominic Larocque and Invictus Games 2016 Team Canada members.

After the launch, Team Canada traveled to Florida to compete in the 2016 Invictus Games, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Canada finished with its best results to date at the Games, capturing 10 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 4 bronze during the week-long event at Walt Disney World.

In the Summer of 2015, True Patriot Love was instrumental during the bidding process to bring the games to Canada in 2017, and is incredibly proud to be a part of such an inspirational sporting event to honour our military and veteran community.

Golf Season has arrived! Join us on June 27th in support of True Patriot Love

The 6th Annual True Patriot Love Les Shaw Invitational for Heroes Golf Tournament is just around the corner. Join us on June 27th, 2016 at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario, as True Patriot Love Foundation supporters hit the links to benefit the men and women who serve our country, our veterans and their families.

All funds raised at this year's tournament will benefit veterans' transition programs across Canada. The day will feature special guest speakers, attendees, giveaways and prizing.

For more information, or to book your foursome, contact Tracey Taylor, Director of Corporate Sponsorships, at ttaylor@truepatriotlove.com.

Donor Spotlight: Phoenix A.M.D. International

True Patriot Love thanks Phoenix A.M.D International for their generous donation of $44,000 in support of Canada's military families and veterans.

For the past two years, beginning on November 11th, Phoenix AMD holds a month-long promotion at every retail outlet it works with in Canada and the US, whereby it donates a percentage of its sales to two organizations that work to provide support services for veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Over the past two years, the promotion has raised almost $90,000, which was divided equally between TPL and Wounded Warrior Family Support in the States.

Albert Marrache, President and Co-Founder of Phoenix AMD, was inspired to launch the campaign by the tragic events that occurred in Ottawa in October 2014.

TPL is sincerely grateful for the support from our proud supporters and partners. If your company is interested in supporting True Patriot Love, please contact Shannon Caskey, Director of Development, atscaskey@truepatriotlove.com.

On May 8th, True Patriot Love was honoured to be involved with theInvictus Games 2016 Symposium on Invisible Wounds, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Centre.

The Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds brought together warriors, experts and community partners to address the scale and scope of invisible wounds (PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injures) facing warriors. Representatives from all 15 participating nations discussed the current barriers to care, including both stigmas and stereotypes associated with these injuries.

True Patriot Love CEO, Bronwen Evans, was proud to discuss Canada's perspective on the topic of invisible wounds. Click here to watch the full symposium and discussions. (Bronwen can be found starting at 2:50:00.)

Bell TPL Fund set to launch next month

The 2016 Bell True Patriot Love Fundis set to open in June!

Launched in 2013, the Bell True Patriot Love Fund is a $1 million program to support community mental health initiatives for Canadian military families, veterans and serving members. Since 2013, the Fund has provided 48 grantsto programs delivered through Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) and other charities that work directly with veterans and families, and that focus on improving access to mental health care in military communities across the country.

This year, the call for applications for the Bell True Patriot Love Fund will be held from June to August, and will be open exclusively to programs that are geared towards increasing access to mental health support for soldiers, veterans and military families.